Tank-heater.



T. SHAVER, DECD.

E. SHAVER. ADMINISTRATRIX.

TANK HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.3I,1914.

1,154,065. Patented Sept. 21, 1915.

T. SHAVER, DECD.

E. SHAVER, ADMINISTRATRIX.

Patefited Sept. 21, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

mamas.

1 era THEODORE SHAVER, OE IRETON, IOWA; ELIZABETH SHAVER ADMINISTRATRIX OF SAID THEODORE SHAVER, DECEASED.

TANK-HEATER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE SHAVER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ireton, in the county of Sioux and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Tank-Heaters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in tank heaters, and the objects and nature of the invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art in the light of the following explanation of the accompanying drawings illustrating what I now believe to be the preferred embodiments from among other formations, arrangements and constructions within the spirit and scope of the invention.

An object of the invention is to provide improved means for preventing the freezing of water in stock watering tanks.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tank heater for immersion in watering tanks which will heat the water by means of circulating currents of warm water.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tank heater of few parts and simple construction giving efficient results with the smallest care and attention.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tank heater embodying heat retaining means constructed and arranged to store up heat during the normal operation of the heat generator of the heater, and to slowly give off heat for a considerable length of time to prevent freezing of the water'in the stock'tank, should said generator become accidentally extinguished.

This invention consists in certain novel a top plan of the modification illustrated by Fig. 3, with the top wall and parts carried thereby removed. V

The tank heater of my invention embodies a box or casingadaptedto be submerged Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 21, 1915.

Application filed December 31, 1914. Serial No. 879,929.

in the body of water to be heated, and hav ing an elevated air inlet through which air is supplied to the interior of the box to support combustion, and having an elevated discharge for the products of combustion from the interior of said box. A. water heating pipe or conduit extends longitudinally through the interior of this box and the ends of this conduit or pipe are open at the exterior of the box and in the body of water to be heated. Any suitable burner, or other heating device, is arranged within the box, to heat said pipe or conduit and the water therein and thereby cause the water to constantly flow in one direction through said pipe and consequently set up a circulation in said body of water sutficient to prevent freezing thereof.

In the particular example illustrated, I show a suitable water tight metal (or other suitable material) box in, having its otherwise open top closed by a removable top wall or cover Z, secured to the box in any suitable manner to provide a water tight joint between the cover and top edges of the box walls. This can be accomplished by suitable interposed packing m, and stove or other suitable bolts M, for clamping the cover to the box walls and against the intervening packing. This box is intended to be placed. in a stock water tank and to be of sufiicient weight to maintain its position resting on the floor of such tank, yet the box is as small as possible in size to take up a minimum amount of space in the tank and so that the box will be completely submerged with its cover Z, below the water level in the tank. I show the box formed with bottom feet or supports 79, to rest on the floor of the tank and thereby hold the bottom wall of the box a distance above the floor of the tank, although my invention is not so limited.

The means I provide for setting up a circulation of water in the tank comprise a suitable heater within said box and a water conduit extending through said box and exposed therein to the heat generated by said heater. This water conduit consists of a pipe extending longitudinally throughout the length of the box and projecting through and beyond the end walls "of the box and forming water tight joints with said end walls. The projecting ends a, o of this pipe are submerged in the water in the tank and are open forthc free How of water into and from the pipe, while the portion a, of the pipe within the box is imperforate and forms opposite lateral loops or offsets so that the. portion a, of the pipe is in the form of a flat coil to maintain a maximum surface area of pipe within the box subject to the heat of the burner as well as a maximum volume of water likewise subject to said heat. This pipe is longitudinally inclined throughout the length of the box from the pipe inlet end a, upwardly toward the pipe outlet. discharge end o to maintain. a constant flow of water through said pipe and from the elevated, discharge end a?, thereof for the purpose. of drawing water into the inlet end. er of and consequently se ting up culation of: water within the steel; tank. lhe heating or circulating coil is arranged to constantly discharge a stream of warm or heated water into one portion of, the body of water in the tank while constantly drawing in cold or cool water from; the lower. part of; a, different portion 015 the body of water within the tanl, The body of water within the tank will hence be kept circi-ilatins hile the. ternperature'thereef will maintained at suiiiciently high degree to prevent iiree'zin As before. stated, any suitable. means'can be prori -wlv Wit in the b x; to. heat: said. water circulatingpipe and also tov heat. the'walls: of the box and thereby aid in raising the temperature of the water in the tank and avoid waste. 0 1"? heat so far as possible. In the particular example illustrated, I. show a suitable. oil (orother liquid fuel) burnerju, arranged j ust above the floor or bottomwall of; the box and immediately below the lower or. inlet, end oil-the coil (of, within the box... his burner; is; supplied with fuel through a supply pipev j, extending through the bot,- toin wall, of the box and forming a water tight joint therewith. llhris, pipe extends. QXteriorly of the box to, any suitableliquid:

fuel supply g, the flowof liquid from .which eanbe centrelled; a valve 8.,

The supply tank issupported in. an elevated- P01" sition above the water in the stool: tank and:- is carried by the box.,.any suitable meansbeing; provided for this purpose.

'Eo maintain the necessary flow' ot air; into the box tesupport combustion, Lproyide a;

d wnrd a t. tube. having itsinlret end, elevatedabove the leuel' of the water. inthex stocktankjwhile the lower outlet. end 035 said:

tube is. arranged, directly and: approximately centrally above the burner 71/, and; comparatively close thereto So that the down draft orbla-st oii'air willspnead the hurnenfiaine,

for obviousvpurposesr and resulting advantages; 'Ehis, ai'r; tube. is vertical and. the interfior thereof 18; unobstructed. although. 11'

preferablyprovide a vralveaor damper etor the; inlet end thereof-1110f control: thelinflow V oii a-ir for obvious purposes. ThisairatubeJ depends a considerable distance into the interior of the box and rises a considerable distance above the cover or top wall of the 1 box and any suitable means or arrangement can be provided for supporting said tube,

although I show the tube supported by its upper end where the tube is fixed to and opens through a cap or closure 7'", removably fitted, on and clofiing the otherwise open up per end of a vertical watertight casing forming well 7, rising from and fixed to the top. wall or cover of the box and opening h ethrough into the combustion chamber Z,- or interior of the box. lhis well risesto an elevation above the water le rel in'th'e tankand is of considerably greater diameter than the air tuberso] as to provide an space around said tube in, open cornmunica, tiO l tothe combustionchainber in'the box; After the, box has been submerged inv the water the stock tank, and the burner has en; upp ied with rune-he fuel on 01- 111 thev burner can be ignited by a si-iitable flailimg torch, appl ed to. the burnerthrough the well after the cap f carry ng the. air tube,

has been lifted from. the well; After the rangedan. inclinationlongitudinally of.

the box and upwardly toward the; dischargepi-pe c to'pronaotethe passage of hot; products longitudinally ot theand to. the dischargepipe and; to, thereby aid in maintaining the draft, through the! box'necessary: tosnpport. combustion. g I

' If; so desired; a partition. canbe' arranged the: box to, term: a. vertically-disposed fire rfeombustionr chamber atgone'end and extending to the fioorzofi'thabonan'dleoniiagi-rr the heat generator, and an upwardly inclinedrdiefiector below: the eircu latingpipe v and. extending longitudinally"of the box fromthe' upper. portion.v of said" chamber. 7

inclined. fine: or passage extendingflong ie tudinazlly oil the. box :tnoni the: colnbustion chamber)*tothenhschargepipec. Tihe watei ciroulaitmg pipe. of extends transversely across said combustion. ch amber and directly the; (liseharg eiendl ofrltheboxr The inclined PGAIbLOIl; oiirsai'd 'PHJBlHitlEH- GQPQBEttQS; with thetop .Wall' or couer. lgiinfonming an upwardly abovezthei heat genera/ten: toreeeive} the f- 'ull;

forceand; efl iect. of the flamethereof, and said pipe also extends throughout'the, lengthofii-saidi 1 flue whereinthe hob-productsfrom r the generator "are coneentr atedand confinedto travel throughout the greater portion of the length of said pipe after leaving the combustion chamber, to reduce waste of heat to the minimum. It will be observed that a most extensive surface area of the circulating pipe is directly exposed in the box to the heating effect of the burner flame and the resulting hot products. In the example illustrated, by Figs. 1 and 2, this partition is composed of a metal sheet bent approximately at right angles and inserted inthe box to form the vertical wall 0, and the upper longitudinal inclined wall 0'. The lower edge of the vertical wall rests on the floor of the box near the burner and extends upwardly a suitable distance to form the right hand (Fig. 2) vertical wall of the combuschamber while the remainder of the partition extends from the upper end of said vertical wall 0, to the end wall of the box just below the discharge pipe. This partition ispreferably imperforate and occupies the full width of the box and is preferably secured at its edges to the inner surfaces of the box preferably to form air tight joints. The partition in connection with the walls of the box thus forms a closed air space or chamber Z), within the box beside the combustion chamber and below the flue therefrom. This chamber or dead air space performs a peculiar function in that it serves to store and retain heat conducted thereto through the walls thereof formed by the partition. The air in said space becomes gradually or slowly heated during the operation of the-heater and the heat is thereby stored therein to be utilized in case of emergency in greatly delaying the cooling of the water in the stock tank to the freezing point. If the burner should become accidentally extinguished through lack of fuel or from any other cause, during freezing weather, the heat stored in chamber 7), will be gradually transferred by conduction from the dead air in said chamber to the water in the stock tank, and will keep the water above freezing temperature for quite awhile, several hours, in fact, undercertain conditions. The purpose of the heat retaining space is to keep the water from freezing, in the emergency mentioned, until the fact that the heater is not properly operating, has been observed by some one.

Where the partition is composed of sheet metal, or where the box is composed of sheet metal, the walls of the chamber 1), are preferably imperforate and the chamber air tight, inasmuch as the sheet metal walls will expand and contract by bulging or otherwise to accommodate the variation in pressure due to the expansion and contraction of the air in the chamber. Where the tank box and the partition are composed of cast iron or the like, it is usually necessary to provide one or more vent holes in the partition for the escape of air from the chamber Z), to relieve the pressure therein when the air becomes highly heated.

In Fig. 3, I show a tank box construction particularly designed for use where the box is composed of cast iron or the like. In this construction, I, in efl'ect, omit the top wall or length 0 of the partition of Figs. 1 and 2, and provideseveral spaced parallel vertical partitions 0 0 rising from the floor of the box between the burner and the rear end of the box with their horizontal top edges terminating short distances below the cir culating pipe, therebv forming air spaces,

chambers or pockets 5, b. The partitions su'liicient length of time to highly heat the L air in said pockets, heat will be given off therefrom for a considerable period as hereinbefore described in connection with the structure of Figs. land 2. However, I do not wish to limit all features of my invention to the provision of heat storing or retaining means.

It is evident that various changes, modifications, and variations might be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention and hence I do not wish to limit myself to the exact disclosures hereof.

What I claim is 1. A tank heater comprising a box adapted to be submerged in the waterto be heated and forming an internal heating chamher, said box having a down draft air inlet pipe projecting a distance above the box and having an elevated top inlet opening and depending a distance into the box and at its lower end having an air outlet opening, an outlet pipe from said box having an elevated discharge opening, a burner in the box located immediately below said air outlet opening, whereby the burner flame will be spread by the air from said outlet opening, and water circulating means carried by the box and exposed to the heat generated by said burner.

2. A tank heater comprising a water tight box adapted to be submerged in the water to be heated, said box having a well rising therefrom and at its lower end opening thereinto, a closure for the upper end of said well provided with an air inlet tube depending through the well and into the interior of the box, a discharge flue from the box having an elevated discharge opening, a burner in the box, located immediately below the lower end of said tube to receive the down draft of air therefrom and a Water circulating conduit extending through the box with its portion within the box exposed to the -heat. of the burner, substantially as described. a V

3. A'tank heater comprising a box adapted to besubmergedin the water to beheated and provided with a verticalwell rising elevated point, and a water'circulating coiled pipe in the box and opening into the exterior of the box and arranged above and exposed to the heat of said burner, said air tube extending down between the convolutions of said pipe and having its lower discharge end arranged directly above said burner.

4. A tank heater comprising a box having a water circulating pipe extending longitudinally therethrough, a partition in the box forming an air chamber and heat directing walls, below said pipe, a burner in one end portion of the box, and means for maintaining a draft through said box to support combustion.

' 5. A tank heater comprising a longitudinally elongated box having a longitudinally inclined removable top, a longitudinally inclined water circulating pipe extending throughout the length of the upper portion of said box with its ends open to the exterior thereof, said pipe within the box formed with oppositely extending lateral loops, an air supply pipe carried by said top and rising therefrom, an outlet pipe from the rear end of the'interior of the box to an elevated point, a burner in the lower portion of the front end of the box below said Water circulating pipe and provided with a fuel supply pipe extending to an elevated pointat the exterior of the box, and'means' Within the box to the rear of said burner and below the portion of the water circulating pipe to the rear of the vertical-plane of above said air space or chamber, substan-' tially as described. I

7. Atank heater'comprising a box embodying a heat retaining chamber or space within the walls of the box and adjacent to the floor thereof and a combustion chamber to one side of said space and a discharge flue from said combustion chamber and extending over said heat retaining space, and a Water circulating conduit extending through said box and arranged across said combustion chamber and in said flue.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

THEODORE SHAVER." Witnesses i p F. F. MORRIS, R. L. REED.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. V v 

